ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION'S NATIONAL COLORECTAL CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE JOINS OLYMPUS AND FASHION INDUSTRY TO KICK OFF OLYMPUS FASHION WEEK

New Public Service Announcement is Aimed at Increasing Women's Awareness of Risk and Early Detection

KATIE COURIC, HEIDI KLUM APPEAR AT PRESS CONFERENCE ON OPENING DAY OF OLYMPUS FASHION WEEK

Katie Couric, Heidi Klum, Fern Mallis, Jonathan Tisch and others appeared at an opening day press conference to kick off Olympus Fashion Week today, highlighting the Be Seen, Be Screened campaign. The initiative, launched in February 2004 by Olympus and the Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (EIF's NCCRA), draws on the fashion industry to help educate Americans about the importance of medical screening in combating colorectal cancer, this country's second-leading cancer killer of men and women combined.

Heidi Klum's participation in a new public service announcement (PSA) is one example of how the fashion industry is working with EIF's NCCRA to heighten colon cancer awareness -- particularly among women, who often underestimate their risk for the disease.

"Colon cancer has a better than 90 percent cure rate when detected early, and is almost always entirely preventable when pre-cancerous polyps are detected through screening and then removed." NCCRA Co-Founder Couric noted. "So we want to be make sure people get screened, and women need to know they are as likely to be diagnosed as men. That's why we joined forces with Olympus, the title sponsor of Fashion Week, to enlist the fashion industry's help in focusing attention on colon cancer....We want to make it fashionable to talk about colon cancer and make sure this is one trend that never goes out of style."

Fern Mallis, Executive Director of 7th on the Sixth, previewed the upcoming events for Olympus Fashion Week, while Jonathan Tisch, chairman of the Board of Directors of NYC & Company (formerly known as the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau) officially welcomed participants on the City's behalf. Martin Lee, Vice President of Marketing for Olympus' Consumer Products Group, noted Olympus' role in uniting the fashion industry behind this important cause, and plans for its third Olympus Fashion Week as title sponsor. Other fashion industry luminaries on hand to show their support for Be Seen, Be Screened included VOGUE Editor in Chief Anna Wintour and Designers Vera Wang, Luca Orlandi and Carmen Marc Valvo (who is a colon cancer survivor). These designers, as well as Kenneth Cole, will display the PSA in stores and showrooms during March, which is Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

"The industry's effectiveness in speaking to women will be an enormous asset as we attempt to improve their colon cancer screening rates," said Couric. "I'm grateful to everyone in the fashion world who is getting involved: Heidi, the designers, and publications like ELLE and Harper's Bazaar -- as well as PEOPLE Magazine -- for donating valuable ad space to feature our PSA."

About the EIF's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance
The NCCRA is dedicated to the eradication of colon cancer by promoting education about the importance of early medical screening and funding cutting-edge research to develop betters tests, treatments and ultimately, a cure. The NCCRA was co-founded in March of 2000 by Katie Couric, cancer activist Lilly Tartikoff, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Bloomingdale's has been a participating corporate sponsor from the outset, and other supporters include NBC, AETNA, Cunard, Brooks Brothers and philosophy, as well as Olympus. For more information, visit www.EIFoundation.org

About Olympus Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in healthcare and consumer electronics worldwide.

Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and its parent company, Tokyo-based Olympus Corporation, to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:

• Digital and film cameras, and digital voice recorders.
• Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;
• Advanced clinical and research microscopes; and
• Lab automation systems, chemistry-immuno and blood bank analyzers and reagents.

In the U. S. and Canada, Olympus serves healthcare, scientific and commercial laboratory markets with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers efficiently, reliably, safely, and easily achieve superior results. Olympus is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. The company's market-leading consumer electronics business spans North and South America. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.

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CONTACT:

For EIF's NCCRA Polly Dempsey, Full Picture 212/627-0001

For OLYMPUS Miriam Driot, Mullen PR 917/660-5620